Govt sets up panel to decide on opening schools, colleges in Delhi

The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) on Friday decided to set up a committee, including officials from the education and health departments, to work out a strategy to reopen educational institutes in the Capital, said a senior official, adding that deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia reportedly told the DDMA meeting that at least 90% of the parents who attended the mega parent-teacher meeting (PTM) of students of government schools are in favour of reopening schools.

“The issue of opening schools and educational institutions was deliberated upon in detail. In accordance with the suggestions by experts, it was decided to set up a committee, including officials of education and health departments, to evaluate and finalise a detailed plan comprising standard operating procedures (SOPs); assessment of the ability of schools to implement such SOPs and plan for vaccination of teachers and staff; and address concerns of parents of the students. A decision on reopening will be taken thereafter... It was noted that in principle, there is no harm in opening schools provided certain pre-requisites in place,” said the official who did not wish to be identified.

The DDMA meeting was chaired by lieutenant governor Anil Baijal, who is the chairperson of the DDMA, and attended by Delhi chief minister and DDMA vice-chairperson Arvind Kejriwal, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and health minister Satyendar Jain. NITI Aayog member Dr VK Paul, AIIMS chief Dr Randeep Guleria, ICMR director general Dr Balram Bhargava and NCDC director Dr Sujit Singh also attended the meeting.

The official further said that of the 33,000 people who wrote to a e-mail feedback campaign, 68% respondents wanted schools to reopen and 83% voted for colleges to reopen.

“Sisodia highlighted how the Covid-19 pandemic has already caused too much loss in terms of ‘learning’ and cited a recently held PTM in which, he said, 90% of the 800,000 parents who attended the meet, voted in favour of re-opening of schools,” said an official who attended the DDMA meeting on Friday.

The special PTM was conducted in Delhi government schools from July 19 to 31 to guide parents on online education and seek their suggestion on reopening of schools.

Dr Jacob John, former head of the clinical virology department at Christian Medical College in Tamil Nadu’s Vellore, said: “The authorities have to plan each step meticulously. Re-opening of schools and education institutes should ideally be done in a phased manner. We have to remember that children are yet to be vaccinated against Covid-19 and the state governments should not only keep demanding that children be vaccinated but also propose plans to the central government. Delhi can consider opening senior classes in a few schools in each district and observe trends for a period – say two weeks. They should take further calls based on the observations in each phase. They also must ensure that the entire staff – teachers to administrative officials and bus drivers – are fully vaccinated at least two weeks before schools and colleges open.”

Schools and colleges in the national capital have been closed since March last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Classes briefly resumed in a staggered manner between January and February before being suspended again due to the fourth wave of the pandemic in the Capital.

“We all are waiting for normalcy to be restored. As teachers we are worried about the dilution that online teaching and examination has caused. However, the university needs to bring a well thought-out plan. Reopening cannot be a rushed exercise,” said Abha Dev Habib, treasurer at Delhi University Teachers’ Association.